Purch Acquires AnandTech, Dominates Tech Expert and Enthusiast Market
Leading content and commerce company adds respected mobile, computing, and IT reviews site to its brand portfolio
NEW YORK, NY (December 17, 2014) – Purch today announced the acquisition of AnandTech.com, a leader in mobile, computing and IT analysis and reviews. Purch’s industry-leading combination of high-quality content and integrated commerce experiences makes complex buying decisions easy for more than 100 million consumers and professionals monthly. With the acquisition of AnandTech, Purch furthers its mission to simplify purchase decisions for in-market tech consumers by adding one of the most popular computer components, hardware, and mobile reviews sites to a brand portfolio that already includes category heavyweight, Tom’s Hardware.
AnandTech has been at the forefront of the technological evolution, providing groundbreaking reviews and trend coverage of cutting-edge mobile and computing products since Anand Shimpi, one of the tech industry’s most authoritative and respected figures, founded it in 1997 at age 14.
“AnandTech has grown by leaps and bounds over the past several years, but we were nearing what’s possible as an independent company,” said Ryan Smith, editor-in-chief, AnandTech. “The challenge has always been that there are very few players in the publishing space these days who value deep, high-quality content. We wanted a partner that understood our values, had a sound business model to ensure AnandTech’s legacy would continue for years to come, and would allow us to grow and expand our readership without compromising the quality that made us who were are today. Purch provides all of these things. I am beyond excited about what we’ll be able to do with their support.”
“The addition of AnandTech to a brand portfolio that includes Tom’s Hardware, Tom’s Guide, and Top Ten Reviews unquestionably establishes Purch as the dominant provider of in-depth, quality technology content, serving technology buyers who want to ensure the value of their potential investments,” said Greg Mason, CEO, Purch. “Technology manufacturers, too, can be assured that their messages will reach any serious buyer. The two editorial teams represent the finest, most expert group of content talent in the technology space. ”
“AnandTech represents much of my life’s work over the past 18 years,” said Anand Shimpi, founder, AnandTech. “I am happy to see it end up with a partner committed to taking good care of the brand and its readers. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
Purch offers brands and advertisers unmatched reach to tens of millions of discerning in-market tech consumers and professionals each month. These tech “enthusiasts” look to the kind of detailed research, benchmark testing, and advice from category experts during their buying process for which Tom’s Hardware and AnandTech are known. Readers trust that advice because it is backed by nearly two decades of testing every mobile and PC component imaginable, and is supported by unprecedented input and guidance from the biggest, passionate community of like-minded enthusiasts.
Purch’s acquisition of AnandTech is the company’s most recent move in a series of strategic acquisitions and partnerships aimed at furthering its mission to ease complex buying decisions for shoppers and deliver branding and performance results to advertisers. In 2013, the company acquired the renowned “Tom’s” brand of tech media sites and, earlier this year, purchased BuyerZone, the leading online marketplace for SMB buyers and sellers. Purch’s ability to trigger buying decisions in an array of product categories is evidenced by the more than 7,000 marketers and sellers that come to Purch to connect with ready-to-buy consumers. Each year, Purch’s content-commerce combination drives more than one billion dollars in commerce transactions.
In addition to the acquisition, Purch is now the number one technology publisher in the U.S., [1] with a global readership of more than 100 million monthly unique visitors.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
To find out more about Purch, visit www.purch.com or follow the company on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
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About Purch
Purch is a portfolio of digital brands and services that helps make complex buying decisions easy for 100 million consumers monthly. Its respected sites such as Top Ten Reviews, Tom’s Guide, Tom’s Hardware, and Live Science natively integrate commerce and content in more than 1000 product categories so consumers can make better choices before, during, and after an important purchase.
The company helps marketers achieve their branding and performance objectives in a high-quality, brand-safe context. Its sites connect in-market shoppers with more than 7,000 marketers and sellers, driving industry-leading conversion rates and $1 billion in commerce transactions annually.
Purch is a high-growth, privately held company with more than 350 employees and offices across the U.S. and Europe.
For more information on Purch, visit www.purch.com or follow the company on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
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[1] Source: comScore U.S. Media Metrix, Tech-News category ranking by unique visitors, PC audience, September 2014
345 Comments
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Luscious - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
"If anyone reads this and thinks they could do a better job at writing articles, by all means write something and submit it to Ryan, Ian, or me."LOL I have done that in the past... and received only radio silence.
Proper spelling, grammar, technical knowledge and journalistic integrity no longer matter. My computer knowledge spans close to three decades, and have been writing full-time for almost seven years. I started my own website back in 2008 because I believed I could offer something that I saw was missing at the time - hands-on information, critical reviews and honest, unbiased, expert opinion. Articles written by an enthusiast, for the enthusiast, with detailed, specific, niche information. Not the marketing hype echoed by the tech media elite, nor the lies spread on endless forum threads by dubious posters.
No, I don't want to be "some guy on YouTube", there are plenty of those already. There will be things that you just cannot cover in a five minute video, that's where I appreciate guys like TTL. But even he still relies on written content, and owns his own website.
The downfall happens when some rich guy who's last written piece was his term paper in high-school tells the minimum-wage English grad who thinks a pot is something you keep in the garden to write a motherboard review. Meanwhile, the guys who have been elbow-deep tinkering with their overclocks see the end result and think to themselves WTF.
Michael Bay - Friday, December 19, 2014 - link
"Several of the editors are in school as well"Way to shoot oneself in the foot.
akula2 - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
I reckon selling it to Purch was a pretty bad idea because the company will become too big which would be detrimental for the Hardware folks in some ways. Anyway, it's happened so it's past.It was quite a great journey to be immensely proud of. My best wishes to AT staff.
milleron - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
Uh . . . Ryan . . . Don't you mean "in a hands-on business like journalism, that benefit cannot be OVERstated?"Ryan Smith - Friday, December 19, 2014 - link
Aww jeeze.Yes, you are correct. Thank you for pointing that out.
WeUmina - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
"LOL I have done that in the past... and received only radio silence."It probably wasn't very good then...
Luscious - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
Or maybe you cannot put a price on honest, unbiased, expert opinion... You would be surprised at some of the offers I have received. At least I don't pretend to run a bakery with sugar-coated articles.WeUmina - Friday, December 19, 2014 - link
Or it wasn't very good.maximumGPU - Friday, December 19, 2014 - link
you think he'd ever face up to that? of course not.He didn't hear anything back because "you cannot put a price on expert opinion..".
Luscious - Friday, December 19, 2014 - link
You are very wrong there - I can take constructive criticism. The irony is being told you're over qualified when there are some really shitty writers out there.